Beyond the Trail
by Sneezy Whale
Summary: What lies beyond the never ending Trail? A certain feisty female explorer may just find out.
1. Chapter 1

**I've been obsessed with Temple Run 2 lately, thought I'd write something for it...**

_**Hayfever Whale**_

* * *

Her every breath sent a sharp pain through her sides, and her feet ached from their relentless pounding against the unforgiving earth.

Her face and arms were coated with the dust of the Trail, and the gentle sheen of sweat defined her being.

But her eyes were sharp and bright, her gaze determined- and that was what made her Scarlett Fox.

The eerie silence of the abandoned Temple was deafening, it filled her head with a steady buzz.

She was aware of nothing but the obstacles ahead, and the heavy breathing of the hideous beast right behind.

Was she tired?

Of course.

Could she stop?

Never.

Unless, of course, she ran straight into a jet of flame.

She could barely hold down a sharp gasp as the red-orange tongues of fire surrounded her person.

The fire was fake, of course, but that didn't make it any less scary.

The demon monkey loped up from behind, shaking his shaggy head, holding out one clawed hand for the Idol.

She grudgingly pulled it out of her backpack, the squat little figure gleaming dully in the dappled light.

"Almost a high score, too..." He laughed, As Scarlett threw one leg over his hunched back.

She grinned.

"I could've gone further that run, if it weren't for you!"

They were silent the rest of the way back to the Waiting Room.

"Thanks for the ride..." She called after him, watching his lumbering form disappear into the distance.

She opened the door and entered her quarters.

They were small and bare, empty except for a small chest of drawers and a bed.

The chest of drawers contained nothing but clothing.

Suddenly exhausted, she pulled off her backpack.

She longed to fall asleep, but there was one more thing left to be done before she could indulge herself.

Reaching inside her backpack, she pulled out a slightly burnt, wrinkled piece of paper- her Objectives.

Had she collected 500 coins?

No.

Had she used a Head Start?

No.

Had she found two gems in one run?

Yes!

She pulled out a thick green marker and checked the box.

Finally, she had completed one of her Objectives.

She placed the piece of paper in a special slot in the carved stone wall.

It was pulled through by some unseen machinery.

Within seconds, a new, uncrumpled paper appeared, with her latest objectives neatly printed on it with dark brown ink.

She quickly looked them over, then placed them in her backpack and fell back on her bed, hoping to get in at least a few minutes of sleep before the next Choosing.

Then a high, clear bell rang, and her heart sank.

Sleep would have to wait.


	2. Chapter 2

Scarlett rose wearily from her bed, and walked towards a heavy door at the back of the room.

She opened it and walked through- the hinges were weak and wobbly from so many uses.

Now she was in a small, closed cell, the walls and floor made of stone.

This was the Choosing room.

Basically, whenever the Player wanted to choose a new Runner, they would all line up in their individual Choosing rooms and wait for them to make their pick.

If a bell rang in their room, it would mean they had to go back onto the trail for another run.

To Scarlett's enormous relief, no bell rang in her room- she was permitted to go back to her quarters.

Without another thought, she collapsed into her bed, welcoming the peace that followed.

* * *

Her blissful rest was shattered by the unwelcome ringing of the Choosing bell.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she entered her Choosing room, knowing this time she wouldn't be able to escape another run.

The tinkling of another bell confirmed her suspicions; and she sighed.

Running back into her quarters to grab her backpack, she rushed out the door as fast as she could, hoping to reach the Start Zone before she was to late.

She ran through the beautiful Sky Temple, so many miles in the air, noticing none of the wonderful views.

On a carved stone pedestal lay the Idol, and she stuffed it into her pack.

With a quick nod to the demon monkey, she started to run.

With every stride, energy and a giddy rush of excitement flowed through her veins.

With a quick leap, she caught on to the slightly frayed rope ahead, enjoying the rush of cool air blowing past.

It was over much too soon, and she landed on the ground with a thump.

She regained her footing and ran on, leaping over the occasional shingle and jumping the occasional gap where the Trail had simply collapsed away.

All this was simple stuff, been seen and done before.

It got a tad bit trickier when gigantic spike-covered wheels erupted out of the ground- most things do.

Mustering up all her strength, she spread her legs and bounded over it- one spike caught on the leg of her trousers, and dragged her back down to earth.

She gasped with pain.

The spikes wouldn't be able to kill her, but they could certainly inflict some nasty gashes.

Wincing, she pulled herself off the ground, brushing dead leaves and blood off her clothing.

"Are you okay?" Panted the demon monkey, running quickly to her side.

"I'll be quite all right." She breathed.

"That doesn't look too good..." He commented, lifting her carefully onto his back, avoiding the wounds.

"Doesn't feel too good, either." She replied.

They were riding silently, until Scarlett caught a quick glimpse of the view from the Temple.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Said the monster, catching her gaze.

But Scarlett was an explorer.

"Demon monkey," she said suddenly, "Do you know what's down there?"

She could feel him shuddering underneath her.

"I don't know..." He finally replied, "But it's probably not good."

But she wasn't convinced, and the thought stayed with her through the night, playing with her dreams.


End file.
